MEET A SHREW NEAR YOU! Explore Wild New Story Trails at Biosphere in the Bays Days!
Meet at the Blue Fountains of Browns Cafe for the Shrewbert Trail Illustration by Lucia Para
The Common Space is proud to announce that not just one but THREE and FREE wild new Story Trail adventure days or ‘Biosphere in the Bay Days’ have been lined up this summer, giving local families new ways to explore the wild fringes, urban icons, wetlands, and shores around Sandown Bay.
Help Ivy & Gully clear up after a storm! Explore Battery Gardens & Lake Shores with the Sandown Battery Trail! Pic by Dan Roberts, National Poo
Discover Browns and beyond, Sandown Battery and Branstone Farm through the tales/tails of pipits, ivy bees and more wildlife mates! And that’s not all! Each of these art, nature and literacy-led events will give us a chance to have our say on an upcoming, exciting new project, ‘Biosphere in the Bays’… what do we want or need to help us all create, conserve, and of course, celebrate wilder places in Sandown and Ventnor Bays?
Bran the Wild Explorer at Branstone Farm leads us on our Biosphere in the Bays Day on 9th July
Sandown Bay’s Story Trails are free booklets specially designed by Isle of Wight writers and illustrators through The Common Space in partnership with the National Literacy Trust. Each booklet is very different, making use of language and images or QR barcodes and YouTube recordings, ID guides and activities but each illuminating a bit of our Island Biosphere’s natural, human, and built heritage.
Irises, Wildheart Domes, Poplars and the Browns Pavilion...find them in Shrewbert Tale & Trail at Browns Biosphere in the Bays Day
At each of this summer’s Biosphere in the Bay Days, the plan is to head off to explore with your new sparkling new story trail. Bring a picnic for when you’re done, come back to join the artists who brought these familiar places to new life on the page for hands-on arts workshops, Vox Pops and Big Draws too!
Help Ivy & Gully and team behind the Isle of Wight Story Festival, Jules Marriner & Sue Bailey on the Sandown Battery Story Trail!
Richard Grogan, AONB Manager, said,
‘the Isle of Wight AONB Partnership are pleased to be supporting these events with the Arts Council England. The Isle of Wight UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve is not just a badge but a call for change to encourage our communities to connect and engage with the natural, cultural and built environment. In a post-COVID world these connections are more important than ever, but we need to know what the community thinks. Please pop along and give your views on how we can continue to make the Isle of Wight Biosphere an increasingly environmentally friendly place to live, work and play.’
Make your way through the Branstone Copse with your Story Trail wildlife ID guide
• Start each adventure at 11am! Rock up for a big welcome, collect your Story Trail and head off with all your family to explore…
• Once you’re done discovering, meet us back at basecamp, where your picnics and surprise treats combine with nature, art, makings or stories for the afternoon. Help us with the Big Draw to decide what happens next in Biosphere in the Bays.
• Bring your own picnic and expect treats. Wear comfy shoes and expect bumpy bits!
#BiosphereinTheBays #StoryQuest #TheCommonSpace #IrisManifesto #ShapingBetterPlaces #IWBiosphere
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